


take good care of yourself (you belong to me)

by tellmewhatyousee



Series: tales from the numancia flamingo [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Blood and Injury, Injury, M/M, Open to Interpretation, Pre-Canon, Protective Doflamingo, Protectiveness, feat. some undertones of manipulation and general terribleness, nothing explicitly romantic but. it's a lil gay u know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29408466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tellmewhatyousee/pseuds/tellmewhatyousee
Summary: Corazón should know by now that there's no point in hiding injuries from his brother.
Relationships: Donquixote Doflamingo/Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante
Series: tales from the numancia flamingo [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2160402
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40
Collections: tellmewhatyousee's Personal Faves





	take good care of yourself (you belong to me)

For all their skills, all the talented members of their crew, the Donquixote Pirates still lacked any sort of doctor.

Of course, Giolla was always willing to patch someone up— she claimed her ‘maternal instinct’ gave her an advantage, but no one on the ship trusted her with anything involving their appearance. She took way too long to make sure everything looked _just_ right (according to her personal tastes), which usually involved tying all their bandages into bows. Only the kids tolerated it, because they didn’t have any other choice.

Thankfully, all the other adults were pretty proficient in first aid, so they got by just fine most of the time. After solo missions, mandatory check-ins ensured that no one hid their injuries. If anything arose that required more intensive care, their captain could always pull some strings and get them the help they needed.

Contrary to Doflamingo’s requests, Corazón preferred to hide away after missions and tend to his wounds in private. He didn’t need the rest of the crew worrying about him, and the idea of anyone— even his own brother— inspecting him too closely made him anxious.

He returned home much later than expected one night, after what started as a fistfight ended with his opponent drawing a knife on him. Despite the blood loss making him dizzy, Corazón managed to sneak into his room undetected to take care of himself. The first aid kit tucked in his bedside drawer had all the supplies he needed, from bandages to disinfectants, even some painkillers. It wasn’t bad enough to warrant those, though— he’d endured much worse without them.

He flinched at the sting of the disinfectant, but pushed through it. He had no idea where that knife had been before it broke his skin, after all. Once he was clean of all the blood and dirt he could see, he bandaged his wounds with shaky hands. The whole process didn’t take very long, but even after he’d changed his clothes and sat down on his bed, he felt lightheaded.

He frowned as he pressed two fingers to his pulse. Maybe he’d lost more blood than he thought? That could pose a problem, especially if he needed a transfusion—

A knock on his door, though soft, made him jump.

“Corazón?” his brother’s voice sounded from the hallway. “Are you in there?”

Corazón stared at the door. He wasn’t going to _answer,_ obviously, and walking in his current state seemed like a bad idea; the last thing he needed was to fall on his face and aggravate his injuries.

He had a lock on his door if he really needed privacy, but he rarely used it. Doflamingo knew to wait a few seconds before he walked in.

“You didn’t check in with me.” Doflamingo closed the door behind him just as quickly as he’d opened it. “There’s a trail of blood in the hallway. Are you alright?”

Corazón nodded and gave a thumbs up. He was all taken care of. He just needed some food and rest, then he’d be fine. Nothing to worry his doting brother over. 

Doflamingo’s frown deepened. “You’re bleeding through your shirt, Rocinante.”

Corazón’s eyes widened before he looked down, pulling his shirt away from his chest to see it properly. Sure enough, a bloodstain had appeared just below his collar. Before he could get a notepad to start writing out an explanation, Doflamingo crossed the room in two strides and grabbed his wrist.

“Let me see where you’re hurt.”

Corazón huffed, but he knew there was no point in protesting. Deliberately, so as not to displace his bandages, he pulled his shirt over his head and crumpled it into a ball on his lap. He had a feeling that stain wouldn’t come out, but he supposed it was his fault for putting a white shirt on in the first place.

As Doflamingo crouched down to find the source of the blood, Corazón looked as well. Among the bandaged wounds, a steadily-oozing cut ran just below his collarbone.

“Where’s your medkit?” Doflamingo asked, and Corazón pointed to his nightstand. He could tell Doflamingo wanted to ask what the hell happened, how he’d gotten so cut up, but his brother knew he wouldn’t get an answer that easily. At least Corazón could use his lack of proper communication as an excuse— plus, Doflamingo’s first priority was to stop the bleeding.

He grabbed the kit and sat down beside Corazón on the bed, setting his glasses down on the nightstand. “This is why I want you to check in with me when you come back,” he chided as he searched the box for supplies. “I trust you to take care of a few cuts and bruises just fine, but this is more than that. You’re as pale as a ghost, Roci.”

Corazón flinched as Doflamingo pressed a piece of gauze to the cut. He wasn’t aggressive about it, but the pressure necessary to stop the bleeding still made the wound sting. Yet, despite his insistence on caring for himself, there _was_ something oddly comforting about his brother’s touch.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” Doflamingo asked, eyeing Corazón carefully, “Other than where you’ve already bandaged yourself up?”

Corazón shook his head. His torso got the worst of it; everything else was just minor bruising. And he was perfectly capable of using an ice pack.

“I’m not sure I believe you,” Doflamingo muttered. He was reasonably suspicious, really— this wasn’t the first time he’d caught Corazón downplaying his injuries.

Regardless, he didn’t push further. He just waited until the bleeding had calmed down before he disposed of the gauze. Then, he grabbed a bottle of disinfectant, which he dabbed around the wound with a fresh piece of gauze. It stung much more than the initial pressure had, but Corazón kept a straight face as he watched Doflamingo work. After a few minutes, the wound was all clean and bandaged up.

“There,” Doflamingo said, “All taken care of. Now, let me just...” He rested a hand on Corazón’s shoulder, and when Doflamingo leaned over to look at his back, Corazón felt the grip tighten. _“Rocinante.”_

Corazón furrowed his brow, craning his neck to try and get a look at whatever Doflamingo had seen. It was pretty much impossible to get a good look at his own back, but he could definitely see a lot more red.

“This is _precisely_ why you need someone else to check you over,” Doflamingo said, shaking his head. “I don’t think bandages alone are going to cut it here. It’s too deep.”

Corazón tensed. He had a feeling he knew what that meant, and it was one of the main reasons he didn’t like to show Doflamingo his injuries.

“Turn around. I need to look at your back.”

Corazón raised his eyebrows, trying to convey _‘are we really doing this right now’_ as best he could.

“Don’t look at me like that, Roci,” Doflamingo said, shaking his head. “You know this is the best way to go about it with the resources we have. You don’t want to walk around with a gaping wound in your back, do you?”

Corazón let out a sigh. Definitely not. His only other option was Giolla, who would surely give him a hard time about his bandaging job and then try to stitch some elaborate design into his back. So, reluctantly, he faced away from his brother and brought one leg up onto the bed.

“Thank you,” Doflamingo said, his tone much softer as he loosened his grip on Corazón’s shoulder. “This is going to hurt, but you know I’m only doing it because I love you.”

Without a moment to prepare himself, Corazón felt the distinct sensation of Doflamingo’s strings piercing his skin. He hissed as they wove in and out of his back, crossing over each other through the length of the cut. He tried his best to stay still, but he still flinched when Doflamingo pulled the strings tight to close the wound.

By the end of it, he was panting, and had to wipe a bead of sweat from his brow. That had been… significantly worse than getting cut in the first place.

“That should do it,” Doflamingo mumbled, running a soothing hand down Corazón’s back. He was quiet for a moment, presumably reviewing his work, before he asked, “Are you alright?”

Corazón replied with a small nod. Just when he thought they were done, he felt the sting of the disinfectant once more, and had to grip the sheets below him to keep himself from squirming. By the time Doflamingo placed a bandage over the cut, Corazón was trembling slightly.

At the very least, he wasn’t bleeding or at risk of infection anymore. That was a positive.

“Turn around, Roci.”

Slowly, Corazón turned to face his brother. He waited for Doflamingo to reprimand him, to scold him for hiding his injuries... but that didn’t happen. Instead, he inspected the rest of Corazón’s chest carefully, peeling a couple bandages back to ensure the other cuts had been properly cleaned.

It wasn’t until Doflamingo touched a faded mark on the side of his ribcage that Corazón realized he wasn’t just looking for recent injuries. He traced his thumb across the long, thin scar, sending a shiver down Corazón’s spine.

“Will you ever tell me how you got these, Roci?” Doflamingo asked, his gaze flickering up to meet Corazón’s. “There’s a lot more now than when we were kids, I’ve noticed.”

Corazón looked down at his lap, at his hands, at anything but his brother.

“I see,” Doflamingo said, his voice much softer now. “I know, you’ve told me it’s too much to write down.”

Corazón nodded. It was a decent enough excuse, and one he planned to use for as long as possible.

Doflamingo simply shook his head as he cleaned up the first aid kit and set it back down on the nightstand. When he looked back at Corazón, there was a sadness in his eyes that he rarely showed. He only ever took those gaudy glasses off when they were alone— displaying emotion like that was a whole other thing.

“I’m so glad you came back to me, brother,” Doflamingo said, smiling only with his mouth. “I wish I could hear your voice again.”

Corazón kept his head down until Doflamingo cupped his cheek and tilted it towards him. Against his better instincts, Corazón found himself looking right into his brother’s eyes.

“You’re precious to me, you know that?” Doflamingo asked. “I need you to be careful. I don’t want to lose you again.”

Corazón nodded. He wasn’t quite sure why Doflamingo’s words made his heart flutter in his chest, but he didn’t want to dwell on it too much. Maybe his pulse was just going haywire from all the blood loss.

“Good.” Doflamingo pressed a gentle kiss to Corazón’s forehead before he stood. “We’re setting sail in the morning, but we’ll stop at the next populated island and get you to a proper doctor.”

Corazón furrowed his brow and signed one of the few words his brother knew: _‘Why?’_

“You look sick, Roci. I don’t want to take any chances.” Doflamingo crossed his arms. “Baby 5 has been feeling under the weather today, anyway. I’d like to take her to see someone.”

Corazón looked down at his lap again. He was, admittedly, curious, but he didn’t want to show any concern for the child. He had an image to uphold, after all.

“Maybe we can see about recruiting a doctor of our own while we’re there,” Doflamingo mused as he turned to walk towards the door. With his hand on the doorknob, he chuckled. “I don’t suppose we’ll find anyone looking to quit their respectable job and live a life of crime, eh?”

Corazón only sighed. New recruits always caused him trouble. At least they wouldn’t get another kid for a doctor— not unless Doflamingo had finally lost his mind, that is.

“Get dressed and meet me in the dining room,” Doflamingo said as he opened the door. “You should eat something before you sleep.” He didn’t wait for an answer before he left, closing the door behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was supposed to be both  
> 1\. 100% platonic  
> 2\. about law
> 
> but neither of those things really worked out for me huh


End file.
